President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is ready for new nuclear talks with the West

Žsnip
"It is you who come up with excuses each time and issue resolutions on the verge of talks so that negotiations collapse," Ahmadinejad says in his speech. "Why should we shun talks? Why and how should a party that has logic and is right shun talks? It is evident that those who resort to coercion are opposed to talks and always bring pretexts and blame us instead."

"It is you who come up with excuses each time and issue resolutions on the verge of talks so that negotiations collapse," Ahmadinejad says in his speech in Kerman, in southestern Iran today. "Why should we shun talks? Why and how should a party that has logic and is right shun talks? It is evident that those who resort to coercion are opposed to talks and always bring pretexts and blame us instead."

Ahmadinejad's remarks follow other indications that Tehran is ready for a new round of talks with the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany. The last round of talks was held in Turkey last January, but the negotiations ended with no resolution.

A senior U.N. nuclear agency team is expected to visit Tehran on Saturday, the AP says.